New Amazon Tablet is Closer to Reality

Posted by Tom Pisarczyk on May 3rd, 2011

A legit tablet by Amazon may be closer to becoming a reality than we previously thought. New orders with Taiwanese manufacturer’s are stirring up some new thoughts about when the Amazon tablet may be available.

It should be no surprise to you that Amazon has entered the tablet market. For years, Amazon has been offering their Kindle e-reader.

With all of the recent “moves” by Amazon, we’ve been wondering what else they have up their sleeves. Well, now there’s some reports suggesting the future path of Amazon tablets.

According to Digitimes, Amazon recently placed substantial OEM orders with Quanta Computers, a Taiwanese-based computer manufactuer currently engaged with manufacturing tablets for RIM and Sony.

Amazon also placed substantial OEM orders with another Taiwanese-based company, E-Ink Holdings, which is said to be providing touch panels and their Fringe Field Switching technology to Amazon.

These two deals suggest a definitive Amazon tablet future. The popular consensus is that Amazon will be offering a legit tablet sometime this year, shipping before the end of 2011.

It’s either a whole new Amazon tablet on the horizon, or Amazon is simply inking deals to launch a new Kinder e-reader.

I am more inclined to believe Amazon has its own tablet in the works, one that is more robust than Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color. I feel the Amazon tablet will be similar in price to the iPad – likely to undercut the iPad by a hair. The new Amazon tablet should be Android based.